Worst Obama approval ratings in two years, just 30% of independents support

President Obama’s approval ratings have dropped to their lowest in two years, driven by the public’s view that the nation is fast heading in the wrong direction and the desertion of his core support groups --- blacks, youth, women and independents.

Pollster John Zogby tells Secrets that the president has tumbled to a 43 percent approval rating, his worse since September 2011. Obama’s disapproval rating has hit 54 percent, his highest in two years.

And just 29 percent of the 1,000 likely voters polled September 17-18 said the country is heading in the right direction.

Zogby said that Obama is suffering from the bad debut of Obamacare and his fumbling of the crisis in Syria. Plus, he said, the president is at the mercy of a deeply divided Republican Congress that has even worse approval ratings.

But as has been the case for months now, Zogby’s polls have found a steep decline in support from the groups that helped to re-elect the president. Among blacks, Obama won 93 percent of their vote in 2012, but they now give him an 81 percent approval rating. Support of younger voters has dropped from 61 percent on Election Day to 47 percent. Hispanic approval has gone from 71 percent to 61 percent.

Worse still: Obama’s approval rating among independents has plummeted to 30 percent. He won a majority 10 months ago.

Zogby writes the Secrets weekly Obama report card and recently had the president down to an F.' This week's report card will be posted in full Saturday on the Secrets site.